Lynk & Co are a Chinese-Swedish car manufacturer, belonging to Geely group. That’s the same group that own Volvo. Both vehicle factories use a joint-venture unibody automobile platform called CMA. Basically what that means is that they have some important parts that are the same, therefore being able to produce and order more at once and getting a cheaper price. That’s purchasing for you.
Anyways, time to explain the reason why Lynk & Co exists.
It is a very . . . unique . . . concept to say the least. Basically you can buy a car like normal. I should mention that this option was only introduced later. Guess the more exotic ways I am about to explain weren’t enough to sustain the system.
So here’s the core concept of Lynk & Co:
You get a monthly membership, which costs 500€ and get your own Lynk & Co which you can drive for up to 1250km. If you need more, it costs you 15 cents per km. This system includes maintenance, insurance and road tax, so basically the only thing you need to worry about is gas.
Luckily gas prices are always stable, right?
Sounds like fancy car leasing so far, right? Well here comes the special part! You can become a member for free! Meaning you don’t need to play, except for when you actually need a car. In that case you can borrow a car from an owner (which in most cases will be a dealership).
So basically it tries to get people away from car ownership. Now if you like that idea or not is up to you, but it definitely is a sign of the times, going well with the mindsets of todays youths. The only, in my opinion, really unfortunate details about this offer is the actual car selection.
SUV’s, SUV’s, Lynk & Co does SUV’s
Out of the 8 different vehicle models Lynk & Co has in its range, 6 are SUV’s. 1 is an eScooter, and the last is the well known and tolerated (among WTCC fans) Lynk & Co 03. I mean I understand that people like SUV’s, but really? 75% of all vehicles offered are . . . that?
I would get the feeling that SUV drivers want to own their SUV, and that the market for such people who don’t really want to or can own such a car would be quite slim. But surely, they must’ve done their market research.
So why are they in WTCC again?
Simply speaking, the 03 is, pretty much, a rebadged Volvo S60, the car from the Geely group that raced until 2017 in the WTCC. Now Geely then said “We got this new company, we want people to know the brand.” So they just replaced the Volvo S60 with the Lynk & Co 03 in the WTCC.
And it worked!
The world stage of touring cars might just be the best choice, even though the 30 is their only non-SUV car. I’m sure if there were any SUV racing series, Lynk & Co would be in on that right from the get go.
But yes, we now know Lynk & Co exists, and I guarantee, most people who saw anything about TCR in the last few years googled the companies name and found their website, explaining their business model (or found this article explaining it). And I have to say I really enjoy the look of the 03 and would enjoy owning or renting it.
Unfortunately it seems that currently, in Europe, only the Lynk & Co 01 is available both for sale and rent. So until the day they broaden their range, I’ll be left and happy with just my Opel Astra.
Are you a member of Lynk & Co or have you driven one at one of their public trial days? I would like to know your experience/opinion in the comments!